Identification of a chemical fingerprint linking the undeclared 2017 release of Ru to advanced nuclear fuel reprocessing.

The undeclared release and subsequent detection of ruthenium-106 (Ru) across Europe from late September to early October of 2017 prompted an international effort to ascertain the circumstances of the event. While dispersion modeling, corroborated by ground deposition measurements, has narrowed possible locations of origin, there has been a lack of direct empirical evidence to address the nature of the release. This is due to the absence of radiological and chemical signatures in the sample matrices, considering that such signatures encode the history and circumstances of the radioactive contaminant.

Selection and Insertion of Vascular Access Devices in Pediatrics: A Systematic Review.

Objective: To critically review the evidence for the selection and insertion of pediatric vascular access devices (VADs).

Data Sources: Data were sourced from the US National Library of Medicine, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health, the Cochrane Library databases, Embase, and international clinical trial databases.

Study Selection: Clinical practice guidelines, systematic reviews, cohort designs, randomized control trials (RCTs), quasi RCTs, before-after trials, or case-control studies that reported on complications and/or risk as well as reliability of VADs in patients aged 0 to 18 years were included.

Developing Appropriateness Criteria for Pediatric Vascular Access.

Objectives: To describe the methodology undertaken to provide guidance on the appropriateness, as well as inappropriateness, of vascular access device selection, characteristics, and insertion technique for pediatric patients.

Methods: The RAND Corporation-University of California, Los Angeles Appropriateness Method was used. After definition of key terms and scope, a systematic review of the pediatric vascular access literature was undertaken.

Geographic variation in preventable hospitalisations across Canada: a cross-sectional study.

Objective: The objective of this study is to examine the magnitude and pattern of small-area geographic variation in rates of preventable hospitalisations for ambulatory care-sensitive conditions (ACSC) across Canada (excluding Québec).

Design And Setting: A cross-sectional study conducted in Canada (excluding Québec) using data from the 2006 Canadian Census Health and Environment Cohort (CanCHEC) linked prospectively to hospitalisation records from the Discharge Abstract Database (DAD) for the three fiscal years: 2006-2007, 2007-2008 and 2008-2009.

Primary Outcome Measure: Preventable hospitalisations (ACSC).

Effectiveness of complementary and alternative medicine interventions for sleep quality in adult intensive care patients: A systematic review.

Background: Pharmacological interventions for sleep (analgesic, sedative and hypnotic agents) can both disrupt and induce sleep and have many negative side effects within the intensive care population. The use of complementary and alternative medicine therapies to assist with sleep has been studied but given the variety of modalities and methodological limitations no reliable conclusions have been drawn.

Objective: To synthesise research findings regarding the effectiveness of using complementary and alternative medicine interventions within the domains of mind and body practices (relaxation techniques, acupuncture) and natural biologically based products (herbs, vitamins, minerals, probiotics) on sleep quality and quantity in adult intensive care patients.

Comparison of Materials Used for 3D-Printing Temporal Bone Models to Simulate Surgical Dissection.

Objective: To identify 3D-printed temporal bone (TB) models that most accurately recreate cortical mastoidectomy for use as a training tool by comparison of different materials and fabrication methods.

Background: There are several different printers and materials available to create 3D-printed TB models for surgical planning and trainee education. Current reports using Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) plastic generated via fused deposition modeling (FDM) have validated the capacity for 3D-printed models to serve as accurate surgical simulators.

Molecular Muscle Experiment: Hardware and Operational Lessons for Future Astrobiology Space Experiments.

Biology experiments in space seek to increase our understanding of what happens to life beyond Earth and how we can safely send life beyond Earth. Spaceflight is associated with many (mal)adaptations in physiology, including decline in musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, vestibular, and immune systems. Biological experiments in space are inherently challenging to implement.

Aerosol Acidity Sensing via Polymer Degradation.

The acidity of atmospheric aerosols is a critical property that affects the chemistry and composition of the atmosphere. Many key multiphase chemical reactions are pH-dependent, impacting processes like secondary organic aerosol formation, and need to be understood at a single particle level due to differences in particle-to-particle composition that impact both climate and health. However, the analytical challenge of measuring aerosol acidity in individual particles has limited pH measurements for fine (<2.

Effective Multi-lineage Engraftment in a Mouse Model of Fanconi Anemia Using Non-genotoxic Antibody-Based Conditioning.

Conditioning chemotherapy is used to deplete hematopoietic stem cells in the recipient's marrow, facilitating donor cell engraftment. Although effective, a major issue with chemotherapy is the systemic genotoxicity that increases the risk for secondary malignancies. Antibody conjugates targeting hematopoietic cells are an emerging non-genotoxic method of opening the marrow niche and promoting engraftment of transplanted cells while maintaining intact marrow cellularity.

Development of a DNA Adductome Mass Spectral Database.

Mass spectrometry-based DNA adductomics is an emerging approach for the human biomonitoring of hazardous chemicals. A mass spectral database of DNA adducts will be created for the scientific community to investigate the associations between chemical exposures, DNA damage, and disease risk.

Harmful Algal Bloom Toxins in Aerosol Generated from Inland Lake Water.

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) caused by cyanobacteria in freshwater environments produce toxins (e.g., microcystin) that are harmful to human and animal health.

Rac-GEF/Rac Signaling and Metastatic Dissemination in Lung Cancer.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) representing ∼85% of new diagnoses. The disease is often detected in an advanced metastatic stage, with poor prognosis and clinical outcome. In order to escape from the primary tumor, cancer cells acquire highly motile and invasive phenotypes that involve the dynamic reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton.

Enhanced amplitude modulations contribute to the Lombard intelligibility benefit: Evidence from the Nijmegen Corpus of Lombard Speech.

Speakers adjust their voice when talking in noise, which is known as Lombard speech. These acoustic adjustments facilitate speech comprehension in noise relative to plain speech (i.e.

Acceptability, safety and perceived impact of providing a fact sheet to young people about cognitive symptoms in depression.

Aim: Cognitive deficits are common in young people, aged 15-25, with depression. Nevertheless, these symptoms are not routinely addressed in clinical care. This study examined the acceptability, safety, and reported impact on cognitive knowledge and strategy use, of a newly developed fact sheet (Thinking about Thinking Skills in Depression) for young people with depression.

The I-DECIDED clinical decision-making tool for peripheral intravenous catheter assessment and safe removal: a clinimetric evaluation.

Objective: To describe the clinimetric validation of the I-DECIDED tool for peripheral intravenous catheter assessment and decision-making.

Design And Setting: I-DECIDED is an eight-step tool derived from international vascular access guidelines into a structured mnemonic for device assessment and decision-making. The clinimetric evaluation process was conducted in three distinct phases.

Exploring the meaning of undergraduate nursing students' experiences and confidence in clinical skills using video.

Background: Students and health care faculty staff report a lack of confidence in graduating nurses' clinical skills practice. Traditional approaches to support nursing students' clinical skills development have relied on small group, face-to-face, practice-based learning in clinical laboratories. However, with changing curricula, increased numbers of students, and pressure on laboratory timetables and availability, alternate methods of delivery are necessary to ensure students gain confidence in the development of their clinical skills.

Peripheral intravenous catheter needleless connector decontamination study-Randomized controlled trial.

Background: Needleless connectors (NCs) were introduced to reduce health care work needlestick injuries (NSIs). If not decontaminated prior to use, NCs can be a portal for patient blood stream infections. The optimal disinfectant, and its application duration, for NC decontamination has not been empirically established.

The toxicity of the methylimidazolium ionic liquids, with a focus on M8OI and hepatic effects.

Ionic liquids are a diverse range of charged chemicals with low volatility and often liquids at ambient temperatures. This characteristic has in part lead to them being considered environmentally-friendly replacements for existing volatile solvents. However, methylimidazolium ionic liquids are slow to break down in the environment and a recent study at Newcastle detected 1 octyl 3 methylimidazolium (M8OI) - an 8 carbon variant methylimidazolium ionic liquid - in soils in close proximity to a landfill site.

Printing bone in a gel: using nanocomposite bioink to print functionalised bone scaffolds.

Free-form printing offers a novel biofabrication approach to generate complex shapes by depositing hydrogel materials within a temporary supportive environment. However, printed hydrogels typically lack the requisite mechanical properties and functionality of the desired tissue, limiting application and, more importantly, safety and efficacy of the implant. The study authors have developed an innovative nanoclay-based bioink to print high shape fidelity functional constructs for potential skeletal application.

Corrigendum: Osteoblast-Derived Vesicle Protein Content Is Temporally Regulated During Osteogenesis: Implications for Regenerative Therapies.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2019.

PKCα Modulates Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition and Invasiveness of Breast Cancer Cells Through ZEB1.

ZEB1 is a master regulator of the Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) program. While extensive evidence confirmed the importance of ZEB1 as an EMT transcription factor that promotes tumor invasiveness and metastasis, little is known about its regulation. In this work, we screened for potential regulatory links between ZEB1 and multiple cellular kinases.

Evaluation of the Major Steps in the Conventional Protocol for the Alkaline Comet Assay.

Single cell gel electrophoresis, also known as the comet assay, has become a widespread DNA damage assessment tool due to its sensitivity, adaptability, low cost, ease of use, and reliability. Despite these benefits, this assay has shortcomings, such as long assay running time, the manipulation of multiple slides, individually, through numerous process steps, the challenge of working in a darkened environment, and reportedly considerable inter- and intra-laboratory variation. All researchers typically perform the comet assay based upon a common core approach; however, it appears that some steps in this core have little proven basis, and may exist, partly, out of convenience, or dogma.